Plate kinematics of the Afro-Arabian Rift System with an emphasis on the Afar Depression

This work utilizes the Four-Dimensional Plates (4DPlates) software, and Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) to examine plate-scale, regional-scale and local-scale kinematics of the Afro-Arabian Rift System with emphasis on the Afar Depression in Ethiopia. First, the 4DPlates is used to restore the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Afar Depression and the Main Ethiopian Rift to development of a new model that adopts two poles of rotation for Arabia. Second, the 4DPlates is used to model regional-scale and local-scale kinematics within the Afar Depression. Most plate reconstruction models of the Afro-Arabian Rift System relies on considering the Afar Depression as a typical rift-rift-rift triple junction where the Arabian, Somali and Nubian (African) plates are separating by the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Main Ethiopian Rift suggesting the presence of sharp and rigid plate boundaries. However, at the regional-scale the Afar kinematics are more complex due to stepping of the Red Sea propagator and the Gulf of Aden propagator onto Afar as well as the presence of the Danakil, Ali Sabieh and East Central Block micro-plates . This study incorporates the motion of these micro-plates into the regional-scale model and defined the plate boundary between the Arabian and the African plates within Afar as likely a diffused zone of extensional strain within the East Central Block. Third, DInSAR technology is used to create ascending and descending differential interferograms from the Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) C-Band data for the East Central Block to image active crustal deformation related to extensional tectonics and volcanism. Results of the DInSAR study indicate no strong strain localization but rather a diffused pattern of deformation across the entire East Central Block

Design, fabrication, test, qualification and price analysis of third generation design solar cell modules. Part 1: Intermediate load module

The updated program plan and narrative reflects the design and development work done and progress made in establishing a viable design for these modules. Design alterations from the preproduction plan are discussed based on experience gained during the preproduction phase of the program

A prospective randomised clinical trial of one bis-GMA-based and two ormocer-based composite restorative systems in class II cavities: three-year results

AbstractObjectives: Ormocer composites, consisting of a silicon-based polymer, have been developed recently as a tooth-coloured restorative material. The purpose of this prospective randomised clinical trial was to evaluate the performance of two small-particle hybrid ormocer-based restorative systems (AD, Admira/Admira Bond, VOCO; DE, Definite/Etch & Prime 3.0, Dentsply) and one small-particle hybrid bis-GMA-based composite restorative system (TC, Tetric-Ceram/Syntac, Ivoclar-Vivadent) in occlusal stress-bearing restorations.Methods: One hundred and twenty-eight occlusal-proximal restorations (44 AD, 43 DE and 41 TC) were placed according to the manufacturer's instructions in thirty-two adult patients. Their clinical performance was scored according to the USPHS criteria and evaluation of bite-wing radiographs.Results: After 3 years, four AD, five DE and four TC restorations had failed due to fracture or marginal gap formation. Surface roughness improved significantly when compared to the baseline in AD and TC (Friedman test, p or = 3 surfaces) showed significantly more degradation than smaller ones.Conclusions: In a group of class II restorations, there was no significant difference in failures after 3 years between ormocer-based and bis-GMA-based restorative systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Corporate Governance Between Shareholder and Stakeholder Orientation: Lessons From Germany

It is highly debated whether corporations should primarily follow a shareholder or a stakeholder principle. This article addresses the debate with a closer look at Germany's current conceptualization of corporate governance. Despite the introduction of shareholder-oriented practices such as moderate amounts of stock-option pay and more transparent accounting standards, the German corporate governance system is considered to be a prototype of stakeholder orientation. Critics of this system claim that strong obligations to stakeholder interests are a drawback for German firms when competing internationally. However, if applied thoughtfully, an institutionally anchored stakeholder management can also have a number of advantages. We point to selected advantages of a stakeholder-oriented system, including the active integration of stakeholder knowledge, increased commitment for strategic decisions, and a longer term view on performance. Acknowledging potential problems arising from a stakeholder orientation as well as its unique benefits, we call for a modern stakeholder value system

Comparing accuracy and runtime of simulation to the measurements in a real grid for the control of a grid-connected PV inverter

The proposition for this study is to assess how much simulation results can differ from real measurements on the implementation of a control strategy for a grid-connected PV inverter. The system is simulated in Matlab/Simulink and experimentally evaluated on a real low-voltage distribution grid. The PV inverter is implemented using a power-hardware-in-the-loop platform running the control algorithm. The influence of linear and nonlinear loads and the interaction with another distributed energy resource operating on the same grid is quantified both in simulation and in the measurements. Finally, the control strategy is applied and the results for simulation and experimental setup are shown

Influence of power supply distortion on power conversion harmonics measurements

The frequency range 2 – 150 kHz, typically occupied by switching harmonics and communication signals, is still a gap in the IEC emission standards. The main difficulty in reaching a standardized measurement method is finding a suitable power source. The low-frequency and high-frequency content of the power supply is deterministic for the measured emission, as well as the source impedance. Measurements and analyses are done on both PV-inverters and compact fluorescent lamps to see the influence of the source on the emission

Monitoring the progression of erosive tooth wear (ETW) using BEWE index in casts and their 3D images : a retrospective longitudinal study

Objective: To determine if the Basic erosive tooth wear index (BEWE index) is able to assess and monitor ETW changes in two consecutive cast models, and detect methodological differences when using the corresponding 3D image replicas. Methods: A total of 480 pre-treatment and 2-year post-treatment orthodontic models (n = 240 cast models and n = 240 3D image replicas) from 120 adolescents treated between 2002 and 2013 at the Gent Dental Clinic, Belgium, were scored using the BEWE index. For data analysis only posterior sextants were considered, and inter-method differences were evaluated using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, Kappa values and Me Nemar tests (p < 0.05). Correlations between methods were determined using Kendall tau correlation test. Results: Significant changes of ETW were detected between two consecutive models when BEWE index was used to score cast models or their 3D image replicas (p < 0.001). A strong significant correlation (tau b: 0.74; p < 0.001) was shown between both methods However, 3D image-BEWE index combination showed a higher probability for detecting initial surface changes, and scored significantly higher than casts (p < 0.001). Incidence and progression of ETW using 3D images was 13.3% (n = 16) and 60.9% (n = 56) respectively, with two subjects developing BEWE = 3 in at least one tooth surface. Conclusions: BEWE index is a suitable tool for the scoring of ETW lesions in 3D images and cast. The combination of both digital 3D records and index, can be used for the monitoring of ETW in a longitudinal approach. The higher sensibility of BEWE index when scoring 3D images might improve the early diagnosis of ETW lesions. Clinical significance: The BEWE index combined with digital 3D records of oral conditions might improve the practitioner performance with respect to early diagnosis, monitoring and managing ETW

Power-sharing in the Philosophy Classroom: Prospects and Pitfalls

Many of our students learn to approach their college education as yet another system of external control that places authority and decision-making power in the hands of others. This attitude carries consequences for young people’s growth as independent learners, critical thinkers, and participants in democratic community, which in turn has repercussions on personal, professional and political agency. One of the chief benefits to power-sharing in the philosophy classroom is that it disrupts students’ sense of passive complicity in their own schooling. However, as I explore in this essay, there are many ways we can fail as instructors to create deeply engaging scenarios in our classrooms, not least in part because our methods and manner can unintentionally and subtly continue to encourage student passivity. Drawing on insights emerging from my own experience with classroom power-sharing, in this essay I will both examine the value of classroom power-sharing activities as well as offer ideas for implementing them responsively and effectively in a standard college setting, with particular emphasis on the philosophy classroom

Emotion as the Animation of Value

In this chapter, Frances Bottenberg argues that influential contemporary theories of emotion haveyet to solve the classic puzzle of how the peculiar felt aspect of emotion is to be linked with itsnormative salience for particular action. This is in part due to how little mainstream attention hasso far been paid to the role of the first-person body in emotional life. Building on recent andclassic phenomenological insights, Bottenberg argues that emotional drive is best understood asan intelligent sensitivity played out not simply in but by the first-person body. In this so-calledanimationist reading of emotional valuing, emotional drive expresses the constant intracorporealenactment of and adaptation to the fluctuating agent/world relationship

Judging Inappropriateness in Actions Expressing Emotion

Actions expressing strong emotions such as anger can be appropriate responses when an agent judges a serious injustice to have been committed. Certainly, a woman can experience these conditions and express herself through actions such as gesturing aggressively, gritting her teeth, or lashing out verbally. If she is consequently labeled “crazy,” “hysterical,” or “a bitch,” what has gone awry? This paper offers an analysis of the common charge of inappropriateness in the case of women’s actions expressing emotion. To begin, I present core normative distinctions that define appropriate emotional expression. Following this, the “double-bind” of women’s actions expressing emotion will be explored with reference to the conflicting normative practices outlined in the first section of the paper. Put briefly, when a female agent surpasses gendered behavioral expectations, she is seen as having failed what can be called the first test of social coping. The perception of this failure shuts down further avenues for interpreting her behavior. Instead, the social inappropriateness of her emotion is used as further proof of irrationality. The arguments of the second section leave no doubt that gendered norms in the case of actions expressing emotions must be rejected both on epistemological and moral grounds. The final section of the paper explores epistemically and ethically viable alternatives for deciding the rational appropriateness of actions expressing emotion